Streaming videos from your PC

Aim: Time to time, we may face the need to stream videos to another user or multiple users (assuming everyone is online). This tutorial can be used to setup your PC to stream one video or multiple videos, stored on your PC or DVD or from another stream using just free software. Steps: 1. Goto http://www.videolan.org/ & grab vlc (not VLS) for your platform & install it (If you dont have it already) 2. Bring up vlc & goto File > Open File. Choose the local video or DVD & make sure to click on stream/save checkbox. 3. Click on Settings button & select protocol, bandwidth options for the transmission. Depending on your internet speed, you may have to tweak them & experiment them before selecting one optimum setting. For most clients (the users who are going to watch your stream), including vlc, Windows Media Player, winamp etc. these are the normal settings. Outputs: HTTP, MMSH both are fine. (default ports 1234 is just fine - make sure port is open & forwared in your firewall/router. (If you select http, you have to send the URL of the stream as http://:, if mmsh, URL will be mmsh://:. Encapsulation method: MPEG TS Transcoding options: Video: DIV3 Bitrate: 384 kbps ( depending on your upspeed, you have to experiment on this) Audio: mp3 Bitrate: 128kbps (again depends on your upspeed). If you are playing DVD, you can stream subtitles as well by selecting subtitles codec. Note: You may have to be choosy on bitrate numbers, as too much bitrate would mean more buffer times, wait times for your clients. Too less bitrate would mean choppy sound/video. Click OK on stream output & OK on open... window. 4. vlc goes into a play mode without a video screen. It is actually streaming at this point. 5: To test it, open another vlc (or wmp) & point to http://127.0.0.1:1234 or http://(your_ip):1234 On vlc, you have to goto Open Stream option & select the options 6: VOILA!!! If you see the video, you are ready to stream. Give out your IP:port to your pals/world to see the video that you are streaming. (Your WAN IP, not your desktop IP) (Note: Due to linux's handling of video, the snapshot is showing up as blank in the my lower vlc, but in real there's a video playing.) To play multiple videos again & again, put all videos a playlist & then open that playlist in VLC, using the same streaming options. Tips: 1. Always make sure that you got enough bandwidth to support your video+audio bitrates. 2. For excellent help & support, refer to vlc forums 3. Make sure your port is forwarded & routed in your firewall/router. Refer to portforward.com 4. Make sure theres no other mass uploading application running in your PC. eg: torrent clients, ftp clients etc.